Publicis New York And Kaplan Thaler Group Merge To Form Publicis Kaplan Thaler

NEW YORK, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Publicis Worldwide today announced that Publicis New York, part of Publicis Worldwide in the USA, and the Kaplan Thaler Group, part of the Paris-based Publicis Groupe, will merge to form Publicis Kaplan Thaler, effective immediately. The combined New York-based entity, with over 650 employees, becomes the U.S. flagship agency within the Publicis Worldwide Network of over 200 offices in 82 countries. Publicis Kaplan Thaler will be Publicis Worldwide in the USA's flagship New York agency.

Publicis Kaplan Thaler will be led by Linda Kaplan Thaler as Chairman and Robin Koval as CEO. Rob Feakins, President and Chief Creative Officer for Publicis New York will continue in that role and lead creative for the expanded entity.

Susan Gianinno, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Worldwide in the USA stated, "Publicis Kaplan Thaler will build on the strong performances of Publicis New York, which includes the successful integration of digital agency Modem, and the Kaplan Thaler Group, to create a more dynamic New York base. Publicis Kaplan Thaler is poised to lead the change for its clients and the industry."

Kaplan Thaler, who served as CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the Kaplan Thaler Group since founding the agency in 1997 said, "Combining the strengths of Publicis New York's vast global expertise with Kaplan Thaler's reputation for building iconic brands that become part of the culture, creates a formidable new organization offering clients an entrepreneurial spirit with global scale that is idea-driven across all communications platforms."

Publicis Kaplan Thaler will be fully integrated with digital, social and technology at its core, added Koval. "This merger is about driving growth and brings together two powerful teams, with complementary and supplementary skill sets. Publicis New York gains a talented and visionary team to create a new world agency with deep bench strength. Kaplan Thaler adds an instant worldwide footprint and broader capabilities, coupled with world-class digital expertise. Clients will have the opportunity to blend the best of both," continued Koval, who served as President of the Kaplan Thaler Group.

In making the announcement, Publicis Groupe COO and Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide, Jean-Yves Naouri, said, "New York is the largest communications community in the world. We are deeply committed to building a stronger base of operations in this market – one that attracts and retains the best talent in the world to build our clients' brands."

Publicis Kaplan Thaler is designing new offices and will be headquartered in one location starting in early 2013. Its combined client roster includes P&G, CITI, Nestle, L'Oreal, Merck, Pfizer, Wendy's, AFLAC, Edmunds.com, NAPA Auto Parts, SuperValu, among others.

SOURCE Publicis Worldwide